Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

What I say to the member for Cook is that the question that we will present to this parliament is the question about legislative power. I remain determined to amend the Migration Act. The question does present squarely to the opposition whether it will join the government in that. We have made briefings available. We are in the process now of arranging a briefing for the Leader of the Opposition. I trust that the opposition, when it has received that briefing about the amendments, will reach the view that it is important that there is legislation in the right form to enable government to enact its preferred answer on refugee and asylum seeker policy. For us, that will be Malaysia and PNG. For the opposition, that will be Nauru. But we require legislative amendment to support either solution, so the briefing will be made available. I ask the member for Cook and the Leader of the Opposition to absorb that information and make the decisions in their shadow cabinet and their party rooms beyond in the interests of this nation.

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